Written by

John Waggoner
USA TODAY

You might not talk about Social Security very often, but it's an enormous part of the national debate - and your retirement future as well.

What do you need to know about Social Security? As a potential retiree, everything you can. Here are five of the most important things:It's not ALL that generous

Social Security was never intended to be a pension you could live on. Instead, it was designed to be a supplement to retirees' income. Currently, the average Social Security payout is $1,262 a month, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). That's an annual income of $15,144. ...